Universal Imbalance
by Shiba Senju
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki had survived the Winter War when others he cared about had not. Years later when Ichigo thinks he can finally heal, Grimmjow returns with the promise of a new war. Ichigo once again tries to overcome the odds with the help of Shuuhei but is sucked down into something even more dangerous than a war... (Yaoi, ShuuIchi and/or possibly GrimmIchi, AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey guys. This is my first time writing in the Bleach universe so I hope if you read it that you'll enjoy it. This story is based before the 1000 Year Blood War Arc and some events from the other arcs have been changed. For example some characters that survived the Winter War are dead and vice versa. So I guess you could call it an Alternate Universe of sorts. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki had survived the Winter War. He had survived when others he cared about had not. Years later when Ichigo thinks he can finally heal, Grimmjow returns and tries to break him down and make him suffer with the promise of a new war. Ichigo once again tries to overcome the odds with the help of Shuhei but is sucked down into something even more dangerous than a war...**

 **Warnings: Violence, Swearing, Adult themes, Possible OOC and Yaoi but not until much, much later.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All rights go to Tite Kubo**

* * *

Chapter 1

Peace and quiet. That is exactly what Ichigo Kurosaki was hoping for on his night off from his Shinigami duties. For Ichigo though, peace and quiet was just wishful thinking. Instead he found himself on the outskirts of Karakura Town dealing with a persistent problem in his life. The Moon was well into the night sky and silence had fallen over Karakura town only to be disturbed by the sound of two swords clashing together ferociously.

"It's over Grimmjow" Ichigo said as he deflected Pantera with his Zangetsu, disarming Grimmjow in the process. "The outcome is always going to be the same, you seek me out, then we fight and then I win. It's as simple as that" Ichigo said with a defeated sigh. This has been the 8th time in the last two months that Grimmjow has sought out Ichigo to once again try and kill him. Ichigo just couldn't understand why he kept on returning. ' _He's persistent, I'll give him that_ ' Ichigo thought.

"It's not over until I say it's over, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow roars as he gets up and aims a cero towards Ichigo. Grimmjow looked to be on his last legs and Ichigo knew that the cero that was coming his way wouldn't have much of a kick to it. The cero was deflected with ease which caused even more immense anger within Grimmjow to arise, distracting him. Ichigo flash stepped towards Grimmjow and sent a kick into Grimmjow's abdomen causing him to be thrown through the air and into one of the many abandoned buildings located in the outskirts.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself, Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked as he reached the building where Grimmjow was laying in the rubble of the wall he went through. "Do you think I enjoy doing this to you, time and time again?"

"Oh I bet you enjoy it, Kurosaki" Grimmjow said with a scoff while avoiding eye contact with the orange haired Shinigami. "Don't act so high and mighty. You and I both know that you live for the fight. It helps distract you from how pathetic your life truly is! Stop hiding away from the truth!"

"The only pathetic thing here is you coming to me all the time to get your ass kicked" Ichigo said angrily. "I should have just killed you to save all this trouble for me."

"You? Kill me? Don't make me laugh! You are too much off a pussy to do something like that!"

"Go to hell Grimmjow" Ichigo said as he turned his back on the Espada.

"When I do go to hell, I'll let your Mother and that four eyed Quincy know that you say hi" Grimmjow said while letting out a maniacal chuckle. In the space of a second Ichigo's sword was at the base of Grimmjow's throat with a look of pure hatred on his face.

"Go home, Grimmjow!" Ichigo yelled. "It's fucking over! I don't have any time to waste on a pathetic scumbag like you!"

"Hit a nerve did I?" Grimmjow said with a smirk. Ichigo didn't respond and just glared at him with heated anger for a second longer before sheathing his sword and turning away. "This isn't over, Kurosaki! You have no idea about the plans we have in store for you and that fucking Soul Society! Everything and everyone you love will be reduced to nothingness soon and I cannot wait to see the look on your face when that day comes!" Grimmjow yelled with delight to Ichigo's retreating form. "There is a new war coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

Ichigo stopped in his tracks with a cold sweat running down his spine. "War? What are you talking about!?" Ichigo said as he turned around to see that Grimmjow had disappeared. Ichigo would have just passed that off as a pathetic attempt at taunting him if it weren't for the sinking feeling in his gut. Ichigo was a man of instinct and his instinct at the moment was saying that there might be truth to what the blue haired Espada had just said.

…

' _I am going to kill that kid, no matter what it takes_ ' Grimmjow thought to himself as he headed towards the rendezvous point. The forest was the best place for them to meet up due to the fact that it was concealed, dark and was well away from Karakura town so they wouldn't gain any unwanted attention.

It's not like Grimmjow actually tried to kill the orange haired Shinigami every time they fought against each other in the last two months. Orders were orders and the orders were to fight against Ichigo Kurosaki to gain Intel. ' _Oh how I would love to wrap my hands around that little neck of his_ ' Grimmjow thought.

Once again, just by thinking of Kurosaki, his anger had risen to extreme highs. Just the thought of those condescending, hateful eyes of his would send Grimmjow into an absolute rage. Grimmjow finally reached the point of meeting to see that no one was there. _'You have got to be shitting me!'_ Grimmjow thought with even more anger.

"Oi, Asshole! Hurry the fuck up and get over here!" Grimmjow shouted, not caring who heard him.

"There is no need for such foul Language, Grimmjow" said a man with pink hair and golden eyes who appeared out of nowhere. Accompanied by him was a tall, lanky man with long black hair who was wearing an eyepatch.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Nnoitra?" Grimmjow asked, unamused.

"I came here to watch you get your ass kicked by that little Shinigami you love so much" Nnoitra said with a wide grin, showing his piano like teeth. "It was rather entertaining."

"We should have left you to rot in the ground!" Grimmjow growled as he put his hand over his sword and was about to draw it out when the pink haired male stepped in front of him. "Step outta the way, Szayel!" Grimmjow spat out through gritted teeth while not taking his gaze away from Nnoitra who was grinning at him.

"Now is not the time for horseplay, Grimmjow" Szayel said while readjusting the glasses on his face. "We have finally gained enough information on Ichigo Kurosaki for the plan to proceed. You two can have at each other like the animals you are after we relay this information back to Lord Aizen."

"And how the fuck are we supposed to inform Aizen of this information when he is locked up in the fucking soul society!?" Grimmjow growled intensely, trying to fight back the urge to kill Szayel right then and there.

"Well he is not going to be imprisoned for much longer now is he?" Szayel asked rhetorically.

Grimmjow grunted in agreement and took his hand off his sword. ' _These bastards can die along with Kurosaki for all I care_ ' Grimmjow thought angrily to himself as he walked away to where the garganta was about to open.

"Someone's in a feisty mood tonight" Nnoitra said, patronisingly as Grimmjow walked off.

"Don't fucking test me" Grimmjow said angrily, as he stepped into the now open garganta.

With the three Espada gone, silence once again regained the night.

…

Ichigo stared deeply into his cup as he thought about the events that had just transpired. Not knowing how to fully process what had just happened, Ichigo sat down on his couch and turned on the TV. Was Grimmjow telling the truth? There was no way of knowing. Ichigo's mind was in enough pieces as it was, so it was impossible for him to think straight at the moment.

"I wish things would just make sense for once" Ichigo said silently to himself as he flipped through the channels of the TV.

The Kurosaki residence was a lot more dull and lifeless than it used to be ever since Ichigo's father left with his two younger sisters to somewhere as far as possible from Karakura town. Isshin thought it was best to leave the town to keep the girls safe since lately Karakura seemed like a massive death trap. Ichigo wanted nothing more than to go with them but he was ordered by the soul society that he had to stay put in Karakura no matter what since it was a spiritual hotspot and was most likely to draw unwanted attention of dangerous elements.

When Ichigo received the news that he was not allowed to leave Karakura with his family, he was absolutely heartbroken and had a few choice words that he spewed at the Captain General. Those words were not well received but he at least got his message across.

Ichigo pretended like it was no big deal to his family and insisted that they go without him and that he would be fine on his own. Isshin wasn't worried for Ichigo since he had faith in his son and knew that Ichigo could handle things on his own. His sisters however did not take kindly to the news of Ichigo staying behind. There were tears from Yuzu and fists being thrown form Karin. Ichigo felt like he was dying inside and out but still tried to have a brave face on and act like it was no big deal. It's a memory that Ichigo will never ever forget.

"I fucking hate Soul Reapers" Ichigo muttered under his breath without much conviction behind it. The loneliness inside him was slowly eating him up day by day and it was getting too much for him to bare. Ichigo lost a lot of people he cared about during the Winter War and it absolutely destroyed him. Ichigo was amazed that he hadn't crumbled up and broken down already. It was nights like these though, that he was closest to losing it. Nights like these was when he felt like crawling up into a ball and never move again. Ichigo pulled his knees up and placed his forehead on them. "Maybe Grimmjow was right about my pathetic life" he whispered. "It's too much."

"Ichigo!" a voice called from behind him causing Ichigo to jump and fall to the ground.

"Fuck, Rukia! A little warning next time!" Ichigo practically yelled from the floor as he tried to get his heartbeat to slow down. "You can't just walk up behind someone and yell at them without expecting them to have a heart attack!"

"I called your name 4 times, Ichigo" Rukia said with a sigh. Rukia was assigned to Karakura town for the month and was staying with Ichigo for the time being. It helped Ichigo a whole lot to have her live with him but yet it still couldn't fill the gaping hole inside him. Whenever Ichigo was about to completely lose it, she was there to bring him back down to earth again. There was no way that Ichigo was going to tell her that he was suffering though. It just didn't seem right to burden her with his problems. "Well sorry for startling you" Rukia said as she closed the front door. "By the way I think I saw Riruka while I was patrolling."

"Riruka? I haven't seen her since Ginjo died. Are you sure?" Ichigo said sullenly.

"I am not too sure. I just saw those pink piggy tails of hers amongst the crowd of people on Main Street. It was dark though so they might not even have been pink." Rukia replied as she walked up to Ichigo. Ichigo looked up at her and saw her face go into shock. "Jesus Ichigo, you are all cut up. What happened?!"

"Grimmjow happened" Ichigo said tiredly as he got back up on the couch and put his head in his hands.

"Again? I am guessing it went the same way as the times before" Rukia said, sitting down on the couch next to Ichigo.

"You could say that… but this time something strange happened and I am not sure how to take it."

"Something strange? Like what?"

"Well…" Ichigo said, trying to think if he should even bother telling Rukia. It might have meant nothing at all and would get Rukia all worried for no reason but on the other hand, Grimmjow could have been telling the truth. "Grimmjow said something after I defeated him" Ichigo said slowly and looked at Rukia who nodded for him to continue. "He said that they have plans for me and the Soul Society."

"What plans and who are these people?" Rukia asked in a serious and concerned tone.

"I am not sure what plans and I have no idea who the people are. Grimmjow was gone before I had the chance to interrogate him. It might have just been him trying to get under my skin."

"It could be" Rukia said slowly. "Also he might have been serious. Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah he did" Ichigo said darkly. "He said that everything and everyone I love will be reduced to nothingness and also… that there is a war coming and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

"Those are some serious accusations he is making" Rukia said angrily. "It would be best if we report it to the Soul Society, even if it just turns out to be an outright lie. We cannot take what he said lightly."

"Yeah I know" Ichigo said as he combed his hands through his messy hair. "There was something in the way he said it that made my stomach turn."

"That bastard!" Rukia spat through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists. Rukia may be small but the amount of anger she has can be well and truly frightening. "Okay, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"To Urahara's. We will see what he has to say before we contact the Soul Society."

 **The Seireitei**

In the Squad 9 barracks, Shuhei was almost panicking over the amount of work that Kensei had left for him to do. ' _There is no possible way for this to be done by tonight'_ Shuhei thought to himself. Mashiro should have been helping him but was too busy either daydreaming or following Kensei around like a lost puppy. Sometimes Shuhei thought there was no point in having Mashiro around but he would never raise his opinions to Kensei. If Kensei thought it was the right decision then so be it.

This amount of paper work may be a pain but it was also a welcomed distraction for Shuhei. Without a distraction his thoughts always went to the Winter War and all that he lost in it. Those thoughts plagued him night and day. Awake and asleep. There was no escaping them. He lost his former Captain, Kaname Tousen, who was like a father to him and he also lost his best friend Izuru Kira.

The crushing pain of knowing that he would never see his best friend again was almost too much for him to bare. Nothing will ever be the same without him but that is to be expected of war. In Shuhei's opinion, in a war both sides lose.

Every night Shuhei would go back home and open a bottle of sake and pour two cups. One for himself and one to honour the memory of his best friend. He would sit at the table for hours in silence until the sake took a hold of him and would pass out and if he were lucky, no nightmares.

Rangiku would check up on him most nights and would sit with him in silence as well. The memory of Gin still haunted her and sitting in silence with Shuhei was her way of honouring his memory, though she would never admit that to anyone. More often than not, Shuhei ended up sleeping with her to try and numb the pain but every single time they had sex, Shuhei ended up feeling emptier.

When in public, Shuhei would try his best to have a brave face on and would try to not let people know about how much pain is inside his heart. In Shuhei's eyes, everyone was suffering and it would be selfish of himself to burden them with his anguish. It just wouldn't be fair. Shuhei hated himself for feeling so pitiful. He was a lieutenant of the 9th division and shouldn't be acting like an absolute mess… but that was easier said than done.

"I better get started" Shuhei said glumly as he started on the first piece of paper work. Two hours went by and he wasn't even half way through the pile. Shuhei was hoping that by now, Mashiro would have come and collected her share of the work but that was just wishful thinking. Shuhei leaned back on his chair and stretched.

There was a knock at the door which startled Shuhei and made him almost lose his balance. Shuhei quickly regain his balance and sorted his paperwork out. "Door's open" Shuhei called out while arranging his papers.

"Thought I would just check up on you" Renji said as he walked through the door.

"Just doing work" Shuhei said, continuing his work. "Nothing to report."

"Mind if I stay a bit" Renji said nervously. Shuhei looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. _What is he planning?_

"Yeah okay" Shuhei said slowly. Renji grabbed a seat and sat in front of the desk Shuhei was working at. Renji had a conflicted look on his face which only worried Shuhei but he ignored it and went back to his work. Renji just sat there for a moment while twiddling his thumbs and looking around the room nervously.

"So…" Renji said after a couple minutes of silence. Shuhei didn't look up from his work. "What work are you doing?"

"Okay, what is the real reason you are here, Renji?" Shuhei said calmly. "I doubt it is to talk about work." Shuhei didn't look up at Renji but he could feel him tense up.

"What?! Well…Th-there doesn't need to be a reason to come and see a friend" Renji replied with slight panic.

"Lying was never really your strong Suit" Shuhei said looking up at him. Renji looked away and took a deep breath, his expression hardening into a sad one.

"Captain Muguruma told me that you were almost killed by a hollow on your last mission and that if he didn't step in you would have been dead."

"That's just a part of being a soul reaper. Your life is always in danger when you go up against hollows" Shuhei replied with no emotion. _What is he trying to get at?_

"Yeah but you didn't try to stop it. You just let it happen and watched as it charged at you" Renji said, his tone becoming serious. "Why would you do that?!"

"That's none of your concern."

"Look" Renji said, turning his gaze towards Shuhei and looking into his eyes. "I am worried about you. _We_ are all worried about you. You never go out with us anymore. You actually never go anywhere in general. You lock yourself up in your home and get wasted to the point where you pass out. You are really starting to scare us all. It seems that you have just given up."

"I don't see how I choose to cope with things is any of your goddamn business" Shuhei said angrily, getting out of his chair.

"That's the thing, you aren't coping."

"I am coping just fine" Shuhei said coldly. "You can leave now."

Renji picked up an empty bottle of sake from underneath Shuhei's desk and shoved it in his face. "You see this!? Drinking on the job is not coping! Drinking every day is not coping! Pushing everyone away who cares about you is not coping! You need to snap the fuck out of it!" Renji yelled, finally losing his cool.

"Snap the fuck out of it?! You think I haven't tried!? It's not something you can just snap your fingers at and make it all go away! Stop pretending that everything is fine when it's not! Izuru is dead!" Shuhei yelled furiously. Shuhei was on the verge of breaking down and if Renji kept on pushing him, it was going to happen.

"I am not pretending everything is fine, Shuhei" Renji replied mournfully. "Izuru was like family to me and I know for sure that he wouldn't want you to throw your life away because of him. He would have wanted you to get on with your life."

"Well I can't do that! Izuru would have still been alive if it wasn't for me!" Shuhei screamed with tears threatening to spill. "I basically killed him!"

Renji flinched in shock at Shuhei's words. Now he was starting to understand what was going on with him. Survivors' guilt. Renji walked over to Shuhei who was on the verge of hyperventilating and put his arms around him. "Shuhei, you didn't kill him. How could you possible think that?"

"Rangiku ran off and I was incapacitated and couldn't chase after her so I begged Izuru to go after her even though he was profusely bleeding and then he… then he…" Shuhei trailed off as the tears started to fall down his face silently. "Then he died on the way to stop Rangiku. He died alone and… and when I was able to move, I… I went after them and I… found him laying there and the only words he said to me was… 'I'm sorry'. It's all my fault."

Renji wrapped his arms around him tight while Shuhei wept silently. Renji had never heard this before. All he was told about his friend's death was that he died fighting against Aizen and his Espada and that he died an honourable death while defending the Soul Society. No wonder Shuhei wasn't coping. ' _We should have known. We should have tried harder to be there for him_ ' Renji thought to himself. "I'm so sorry Shuhei. I had no idea" Renji said quietly. "It's still not your fault though."

Shuhei pulled away from Renji and looked at him with hopelessness. "How can you even say that? You heard what I said" Shuhei said with dead emotion as he sat back down in his chair. The tears were gone once again.

"Izuru was not that type of guy to leave his friends behind, Shuhei" Renji said with a sad smile. "He would have gone after Rangiku even if you didn't ask him too."

Shuhei didn't reply and just sat there staring into space. There were no more tears but the sadness never left his face. "I don't know anymore, Renji."

"You need to stop blaming yourself Shuhei" Renji said. "You need to open up to people like you just did to me. It may be painful but it will be really helpful. We are your friends and we are always going to be there for you no matter what."

"You might be right" Shuhei said with a sad smile. "I don't even know what I am doing anymore."

"That is fine, Shuhei. We are all here for you. We are going out for dinner tonight so why don't you come with us?" Renji asked, full of hope. Shuhei thought about it for a second. Shuhei wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to go out with his friends tonight. He didn't want to bring down their mood and ruin their night. That would be extremely selfish. On the other hand, it would help Shuhei a lot to go out with his friends. After all they are his friends and sometimes it is okay to ask for help.

"I'll come" Shuhei said with a defeated sigh. "I'll see you guys tonight."

"Oh fuck yeah!" Renji shouted in glee, causing Shuhei to roll his eyes and go back to his work. "Just you wait, everything is going to get better for you. I'll make sure of it" Renji said with a warm smile as he left through the door.

"Better would not be the word I would use" Shuhei muttered under his breath.

…

Another two hours went by and Shuhei was just about to pack up his work and head off to meet with the others for dinner. Shuhei was actually petrified about going out to dinner with everyone else but if he wanted to get 'better' than this should be a good start. Also he would have lots of apologising to do for pushing everyone away. "This is not going to be fun" Shuhei mumbled.

Shuhei was just about done packing up when Kensei walked through the door causing Shuhei to automatically get out of his chair and stand straight. "C-captain!? What can I do f-for you!?" Shuhei stuttered. Kensei rolled his eyes. _Why does this kid always become a nervous wreck around me?_ Kensei thought to himself.

"We have received word from Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki that a former Espada has threatened the world of the living and the Soul Society with war. We don't know if the Espada was serious or not so you will be sent to the world of the living along with several others to try and shed some light on the case. You will leave as soon as possible and will meet up with Ichigo and the Kuchiki kid for further details."

"Yes Captain!" Shuhei said with a bow.

"Why don't I get to go Kensei!?" Mashiro yelled, popping out of nowhere. "It's not fair! Why does Shuhei get to have all the fun missions!? Boring people shouldn't get to do the fun stuff!"

Shuhei just rolled his eyes at her. For some reason it seemed like Mashiro had a vendetta against Shuhei and he just couldn't figure out why.

"I swear to god if you don't shut up I am will destroy you" Kensei said coldly while his eye twitched.

"You wouldn't hurt me Kensei" Mashiro teased as she left the room.

"I swear, one of these days I might actually kill her" Kensei muttered under his breath as he left the room.

A moment went by and Shuhei realised he was still standing up straight in the same spot. There was something about Kensei that made Shuhei a stuttering mess and he had no idea what it was. It might be because Kensei was he his childhood hero, who knows.

Shuhei took a look at all the paperwork on the desk and sighed. Looks like instead of going out to dinner he would be going to world of living. "I really couldn't think of anything worse" Shuhei said to himself as he made his way to the door.

* * *

 **A/N So that was the first chapter and I hope you guys enjoyed it! If you have any questions about it, feel free to message me :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Once we exit the senkaimon and arrive in the world of the living, we will head to Ichigo Kurosaki's home and listen to the information they have about the incident" Toshiro Hitsugaya informed from the front, not looking back at the rest of the group. "Once we have the full details we will split up into groups and search around Karakura for any information that we can gather."

"You mean we won't have time to go shopping?!" Rangiku asked in shock from behind Toshiro.

"Don't you understand the severity of the situation if what the Espada said is true!?" Toshiro replied angrily. "We don't have time for such trivial things such as shopping."

"All you had to say was no" Rangiku muttered.

"Well maybe when we are searching for information, it might lead us to a shopping village and it's not like we can refuse to go if the information leads us there" Yumichika said optimistically.

"Oh yes!" Rangiku squealed enthusiastically. "After all, orders are orders!"

"Did I really expect anything else from these fools" Toshiro muttered under his breath angrily.

"I still don't understand the big deal about buying clothes" Ikkaku said to Renji.

"Everyone is different I guess" Renji said with a shrug. "If it makes them happy then I guess it doesn't really matter. It's like how Shuhei loves music. I don't understand it but it makes him happy. Right Shuhei?"

"Hmm what?" Shuhei replied in confusion. He wasn't paying attention to what everyone else was talking about. Instead he was caught up in his own thoughts as he followed the group from behind. He still didn't understand why he was sent on this mission along with the others. Even though he said before that he wanted to get back to normal with everyone, right now he just wanted to be left alone. During the walk through the senkaimon, he decided it was best for him to keep his distance from the others. He didn't want to be here and he didn't feel like socialising. 'The sooner this mission is over the better' Shuhei thought.

"I was just saying that different things make different people happy like how music makes you happy" Renji said with a worried smile.

"Yeah I guess so" Shuhei replied monotonously. 'Why the fuck did I have to open up to Renji? I am so stupid'. Renji signalled for Ikkaku to keep moving forward while he stopped to wait for Shuhei to catch up to them.

"How are you holding up?" Renji asked, worriedly.

"Fine" Shuhei replied with no emotion as he continued to walk, not making eye contact with Renji.

"Well that's obviously a lie. C'mon cheer up. Just think of this mission as some time to clear your head and to catch up with your friends. It's going to do you some good" Renji said with a warm smile.

"This mission is too important to be slacking off. We need to find out if what the Espada said is true and then we can report back to the Captain General. Hopefully we finish this quick" Shuhei said in annoyance.

"God, you are starting to sound like Hitsugaya" Renji said with a laugh. "C'mon, what about what we talked about before?"

"Just forget what we talked about before" Shuhei said as he stopped walking to turn around and look at Renji. "It's best if I just keep to myself. I am not dragging you or anyone else into my problems. So I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me alone to deal with it by myself."

"You know I am not going to let that happen, Shuhei" Renji said seriously. "You are my friend and whether you like or not, I am not going to let you go through this alone."

"I don't need your help, Renji!"

"Well too bad because you are going to get it!"

Shuhei could feel his anger rising to extreme highs. He never knew a person could get under his skin and annoy him as much as Renji could. It is was a miracle that Shuhei didn't lash out and attack Renji but if Renji kept at it, it would be a very high possibility of it happening.

"Renji, I swear to god if you do not back off I'll…"

"You'll do what?" Renji said daringly. "I am going to be there for you and help you. Simple as that. End of discussion."

Shuhei clenched his fists at his sides and tried to take some deep breaths. 'This persistent idiot is going to be the death of me' Shuhei thought to himself.

"Guys would you hurry it up back there" Ikkaku yelled from somewhere ahead of them. At which point that they had lost sight of the rest of them, Shuhei wouldn't have a clue.

"Yeah, we have already reached the end!" Rangiku yelled excitedly. No doubt that she was thinking of where to shop first.

Renji put his hand on Shuhei's shoulder and gave him a sad smile and then continued to walk on ahead.

"Why couldn't they have picked someone else for this mission?" Shuhei muttered to himself.

…

"There is no time for sleeping, Ichigo" Rukia said as she hurled a cushion at him and sat down on the opposite couch. "The others will be here any minute now."

"I wasn't sleeping, I was just resting a bit" Ichigo said as he pulled himself up into a sitting position on the couch. Ichigo didn't feel up to dealing with anyone from the Soul Society at the moment. He was drained physically and emotionally. He didn't get any sleep last night and instead of sleeping he was up thinking about Grimmjow had said about how everyone he loves was going to be reduced to nothing. 'Jokes on you Grimmjow, most of the people I care about are either dead, gone or afraid of me' Ichigo thought sadly. Ichigo could already tell that today was going to be horrible and was not going to be an easy one. "Who from the Soul Society are being sent here?"

"Jesus Christ, Ichigo! I already told you. Captain Hitsugaya followed by Rangiku, Renji, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Shuhei" Rukia replied in annoyance. "Do you ever listen to me!?"

"Sorry, I am just really out of it" Ichigo said apologetically. "Wait, did you say Shuhei?"

"Yeah I did" Rukia answered suspiciously.

"Well that is kind of weird."

"What's weird about the Soul Society sending Shuhei?"

"Haven't you noticed that for some reason the Soul Society always seems to send the same Soul Reapers? So them sending Shuhei seems a bit strange" Ichigo said, deep in thought.

Rukia sat there for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond to what Ichigo had said. She couldn't think of an explanation though, so she just sat there with a puzzled look on her face. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself after a minute of sitting there in silence.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter anyway" Ichigo said with a tired sigh. "Do you reckon you could do all the explaining when they come? I don't really feel like dealing with others at the moment."

"That will not be possible. You were there when it happened so it has to come from you" Rukia said sternly.

"I thought as much" Ichigo replied solemnly. "I thought I would ask anyway."

"Ichigo, is everything okay?" Rukia asked, her expression softening. "I know you have lost a lot but you shouldn't keep your emotions pent up. The end result will not be pleasant."

"I know that, Rukia" Ichigo said irritably. "I am not the kind of guy to share that kind of shit."

"I know you're not" Rukia said sympathetically. "That is why I am not going to push it. If you want to talk I will be here for you. Just consider what I said."

"Thanks Rukia" Ichigo said with a slight smile. "I'll keep that in mind." Ichigo did want to talk but for some reason he just couldn't. He couldn't even think straight most of the time. He just couldn't find it within himself to talk about what he is has been through. Even though Rukia was his best friend and has stuck by him through thick and thin, he couldn't bring himself to open up to her which made him realise that he probably couldn't open up to anyone. Ichigo's mind was full of regret. Some of the things he had done during the war were unforgivable. He was responsible for his friend's deaths and it was too much to live with. He had to live with blood on his hands. Innocent people's blood. His friend's blood. No one understood that.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rukia asked, unsure of herself. "It might sound weird."

"Yeah sure, go ahead" Ichigo said as leaned back into the couch.

"Well, have you heard from-"

"We're here!" Renji yelled as he barged through the front door, making both Ichigo and Rukia jump out of their seats.

"Fucking hell, Renji" Ichigo yelled, his heart pounding against his chest. "Have you ever fucking heard of knocking!?"

"Well it's good to see you too" Renji said with a smile as he walked over and sat on the couch next to Rukia. "Ow!" Renji yelped as Rukia elbowed him in the ribs. "What was that for!?"

"For scaring the hell out of me!" Rukia growled.

"I told you to knock" Toshiro said irritably while walking through the front door.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku squealed in delight as she pushed past Toshiro towards Ichigo and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I've missed you!"

"I'm pretty sure you are suffocating him" Ikkaku said as he walked in, followed by Yumichika who was laughing and then by Shuhei who was just looking around with a miserable expression on his face.

"Oh sorry, Ichigo" Rangiku said as she pulled back. Ichigo just smiled awkwardly and nodded.

The next five minutes was full of chatter and a quick catch up. Ichigo forced a smile on his face and nodded to everything that everyone was saying. Don't get it wrong, Ichigo was almost happy to see everyone but these days he could only handle everyone in small doses. So he just sat there listening to everyone talk and laugh. Ichigo was trying not to groan out in frustration so he keep moving his gaze elsewhere.

That's when he noticed Shuhei standing in the corner with a miserable look on his face. It looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. 'He could at least pretend to be interested' Ichigo thought to himself. It then occurred to Ichigo that he knew nothing about Shuhei. Being miserable might just be his personality. 'Wait, he's the guy that was lieutenant to Kaname and now he is lieutenant to Kensei' Ichigo thought. 'He looks just as miserable as Kensei, makes sense.' Ichigo then realised the tattoo on Shuhei's face and almost let out a laugh. He was now staring at the tattoo on Shuhei's face, wondering where he had seen it before. 'Oh that's right, Kensei's tattoo. He must love Kensei to have that tattooed on his face' Ichigo thought to himself in amusement.

Ichigo looked over to Renji who was giving Shuhei worried looks and noticed that Shuhei was glaring right back at him. 'Oh, so he is a bit of an asshole like Kensei too' Ichigo thought. Ichigo's attention was then pulled in by the scars that were on the other side of Shuhei's face. Ichigo just stared at them in curiosity. 'No wonder he seems like a miserable asshole' Ichigo thought.

Ichigo didn't even realise that Shuhei had turned his attention towards him until it was too late. A feeling of embarrassment washed over him as he realised that he was caught staring. Shuhei raised an eyebrow at him but still had an angry look in his eyes. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but turned his gaze away instead. 'God, I would hate to be stuck alone with that guy' Ichigo thought to himself, still feeling embarrassed. Ichigo could still feel the gaze of Shuhei drilling into the back of his head. He tried to act natural and to force himself not to look back at Shuhei. Ichigo had no felt this awkward in a very long time.

"Okay, enough of the idle chit chat. We need to discuss the events of last night involving the Espada" Toshiro announced. Ichigo was actually relieved for Toshiro's interruption. The feeling of Shuhei's gaze was slipping away and Ichigo was thankful. "Ichigo would you please share the information you have?"

"Yeah okay" Ichigo said while getting off the couch to stand up. "Grimmjow has been coming to me for the last two months to settle a score he has with me and each time it has been the same outcome. We fight, I win and then he goes back to wherever he came from" Ichigo explained. He noticed that everyone was looking at him with a serious expression and were actually silent for once. It was a weird but welcomed experience. "Last night though, after I won, he said some pretty screwed up things such as everyone and everything I love will be reduced to nothingness, that "they" have plans for me and that also a new war is coming and there is nothing I can do to stop it" Ichigo said with a tired sigh. The amount of times Ichigo had to repeat this was starting to really get on his nerves. He looked around at everyone and they all looked to be deep in thought besides Shuhei, who just looked at him with empty eyes. Ichigo looked away immediately. Something about Shuhei screamed 'dead inside' and it freaked Ichigo out. 'He creeps me out' Ichigo thought.

"So do you think that the Espada wasn't working alone?" Ikkaku asked.

"It seems that way" Ichigo replied. "Also I get the feeling that he was holding back every time we fought. It was like he wasn't trying."

"What is the location of the last spot you fought at?" Toshiro asked with a serious expression.

"The western outskirts of Karakura Town" Ichigo said. "We fought there most of the time."

"Okay, here is what we are going to do" Toshiro said after a moment of thinking. "We will split up into pairs and we will try to gather as much information as possible. Matsumoto you will come with me to Orihime Inoue's house to see if she knows anything."

"Yes Captain" Rangiku replied with a nod.

"Excuse me Captain Hitsugaya" Rukia said with slight worry.

"What is it?"

"Orihime isn't the same as she was so please don't startle her and don't be forceful. She has been through a lot" Rukia said with a certain sadness in her voice.

Ichigo's heart sank at the mention of Orihime. He would never forget the fear that was in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It was all Ichigo's fault. Shuhei noticed the look of sadness on Ichigo's face and raised an eyebrow. Shuhei made eye contact with Renji and signalled toward Ichigo which made Renji look over to Ichigo in confusion and then realised what was going on.

"Okay! What about the rest of us?" Renji said quickly, trying to change the subject as fast as he could. Ichigo looked up at Renji and noticed he was giving a look that said 'Are you alright?' Ichigo nodded slightly.

"Renji, you will go with Rukia and suss out the eastern part of this town" Toshiro said. "Look out for anything. Even the slightest bit of Spiritual Pressure should be recorded." Renji and Rukia both nodded in agreement. Ichigo noticed Renji sending a worried glance towards Shuhei once again which was met with a look of anger back at Renji. Shuhei looked away and made eye contact with Ichigo again causing Ichigo to look away quickly. 'He really does creep me out' Ichigo thought.

"Ikkaku and Yumichika you will go and see if that boy that you stayed with last time has any information" Toshiro continued.

"You mean Ichigo's friend, Keigo Asano? Sure thing Captain" Ikkaku said with a nod. The mention of Keigo's name made Ichigo feel as though his heart had been shattered. The feeling of nausea overwhelmed Ichigo which led to him having to sit down. He was trying his best not hyperventilate and vomit. Rukia saw this and quickly made her way to Toshiro's side.

"Sir, Keigo Asano died in the Winter War" Rukia whispered harshly into Toshiro's ear. Toshiro's eyes widen in realisation.

"Oh, um… I apologise Kurosaki" Toshiro said solemnly. "I did not know."

"It's fine" Ichigo said hoarsely with a wave of his hand. Rukia sat down next to Ichigo and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to go on this mission" Rukia said with a sad smile. "You can just stay here and rest up if you want."

"Nah its fine" Ichigo said with a deep breath. "The sooner this is over the better... Thanks Rukia." Ichigo nodded for Toshiro to continue. The feelings of nausea were slowly starting to pass so Ichigo decided to stand once again. As he got up though, he once again made eye contact with Shuhei. This time though, Shuhei was the one to look away.

"Ikkaku and Yumichika, you two will be going to the southern end of this town to gather information" Toshiro continued.

"Let's make this quick" Ikkaku said sternly to Yumichika.

"Of course" Yumichika said with a roll of his eyes. "I am guessing no shopping then?"

"And finally" Toshiro said, ignoring Yumichika. "Ichigo you will take Shuhei to the place where you and the Espada fought to gather any evidence he may have left behind."

Ichigo just stood there and stared at Toshiro, his mind going blank. Ichigo looked around the room with a blank expression on his face and caught sight of Shuhei. Shuhei moved his gaze to ground while Ichigo stared at him and then looked back at Toshiro for moment. "What?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"You will take Shuhei to where you fought Grimmjow and collect evidence" Toshiro replied in annoyance.

'Of course it was going to be him' Ichigo thought to himself.

…

Shuhei and Ichigo walked in silence towards the area where Ichigo had fought against the Espada. Shuhei was hoping for a comfortable silence, instead it seemed to be an awkward one. Ichigo walked in front of Shuhei and occasionally glance back at him. It seemed to Shuhei that Ichigo wanted to say something and it was starting to bug him. Even though Shuhei wanted nothing more than silence and to complete this mission as fast as possible, he wished Ichigo would just say what he wanted to say and then continue on in silence.

Something about Ichigo seem to puzzle Shuhei but he couldn't put his finger on it and that bugged the hell out of him. The longer they walked the more awkward it got and Shuhei couldn't think of a single thing to say to him. He thought about asking the kid why he kept looking at him but that would make things more awkward.

Shuhei had a strong feeling that Ichigo didn't like him and for some reason that annoyed him even more. Shuhei quickened his pace and found himself walking beside Ichigo, trying to figure out something to say. Ichigo looked at him with confusion and then turned his gaze straight ahead of him. 'Say something god dammit!' Shuhei thought to himself.

"What's the deal Keigo Asano?" Shuhei asked, immediately regretting it. Shuhei looked over at Ichigo to see hurt in his eyes which made Shuhei feel terrible. 'Why did I have to bring that up!?' Shuhei thought furiously.

"No one" Ichigo said coldly. He quicken his pace so he was once again in front of Shuhei. 'Well if he didn't hate me then he sure hates me now' Shuhei thought to himself.

"I apologise if I offended you" Shuhei said as he walked up beside Ichigo again. "I was just curious. You guys mentioned that Keigo kid before and you looked upset. Did you guys stop being friends or something?" Ichigo looked at him with immense anger. 'What did I do wrong this time?' Shuhei thought.

"How about instead of being curious about my personal life, you can just keep on looking miserable and not talk to me" Ichigo replied angrily while speeding up so he was in front again.

"Miserable? You are the one that is being miserable about someone you stopped being friends with!" Shuhei growled in frustration while catching up to Ichigo. Ichigo stopped walking and stared at Shuhei with most hatred he has ever seen.

"Keigo was killed and I wasn't there to save him in time. So yeah, you could say we stopped being friends" Ichigo said with venom. Shuhei looked at him in shock. 'Oh I fucked up big time' Shuhei thought to himself. Shuhei's stomach dropped at Ichigo's words. "Is there any other dead friends of mine you want to bring up?" Shuhei had absolutely no words. This time Ichigo flash stepped away and Shuhei just stood there feeling like the biggest asshole in the world. 'I should have kept my mouth shut' Shuhei thought to himself.

Shuhei looked in the direction that Ichigo went and followed the traces of his spiritual pressure. Shuhei knew that Ichigo was going to hate him now. 'The sooner I get back to the Soul Society the better' he thought as he flash stepped towards Ichigo. Shuhei was now feeling guilty and it seemed to him that apologising was not going to do anything in this situation. Well it was worth a shot anyway.

Shuhei finally caught up to Ichigo at the location they were supposed to search. Ichigo was standing there in silence, staring at one building in particular. Shuhei walked over to Ichigo, trying to figure out the best way to apologise.

"Look Ichigo, I am really sorry about what I sai-"

"Shut up" Ichigo said quietly. 'So much for being nice' Shuhei thought.

"Did you just tell me to-" Ichigo cut Shuhei off by placing his hand over his mouth. Shuhei quickly swatted his hand away and stared at him in confusion and frustration. Ichigo pointed to the building that he was starting at. Shuhei looked up at it and couldn't understand what Ichigo was going on about. Then he felt it.

There was a weird spiritual pressure coming from the building. It wasn't a Soul Reaper's and it wasn't quite human either. It was coming from the third floor of the building and Ichigo looked over at Shuhei and signalled towards his Zanpakuto. Both of them unsheathed their swords and prepared to jump up into the building. Ichigo let out a deep breath and both of them jumped to the third floor and flash stepped towards the owner of the spiritual pressure. Both of their Zanpakuto were aimed at the owner who let out a little squeak. Shuhei looked at the owner in confusion. She just looked like a normal girl.

"Would you get your swords out of my face" the girl said irritably while pushing the swords away from her face. "Even now you are still a pain in my ass, Ichigo." Ichigo looked to be in complete surprise and had a little smile on his face which confused the hell out of Shuhei.

"What the hell are you doing here, Riruka?" Ichigo asked with a smile.

'What the hell is going on here?' Shuhei thought, confused. 'This is too much.'

…

"Are you fucking done yet?" Grimmjow growled as he paced back and forth while Szayel Aporro went over the plans he had mapped out. If Grimmjow had it his way, he would have already invaded the Soul Society and killed as many Soul Reapers he could get his hands on.

"Hasn't anyone told you that patience is a virtue?" Szayel Aporro replied, not taking his eyes off the plans in front of him.

Szayel Aporro had reconstructed his laboratory after it was destroyed in his battle against the Soul Reapers. The laboratory was dark and creepy with strange thinks hooked up to all sorts of machines that made weird noises. Grimmjow could not think of a worse place to be than where he was now. The lab was spacious and was away from everything and everyone which is why their meetings always occurred here. That and also that most of Las Noches was destroyed.

"There is nothing virtuous about me so would you hurry the fuck up already?!" Grimmjow growled in annoyance.

"Quiet down, Grimmjow. Do you wish to fail this mission?" a blonde woman with tanned skin asked from the corner of the room.

"Why the fuck would you care, Halibel? Didn't Aizen cut you down when he thought that you were no longer of any use?" Grimmjow asked with a smirk.

"My motives for this mission are none of your concern" Halibel replied coolly.

"Tch, whatever. Just hurry the fuck up Szayel."

"Someone seems to be in a rush to their own death" Nnoitra said a wide toothy grin, hoping to get a rise out of Grimmjow.

"Watch what you say to me or else you might not live long enough to see the Soul Society" Grimmjow growled with cold anger while reaching for his sword.

"Oh I am shaking" Nnoitra replied sarcastically while getting up from where he was sitting. "Threats mean nothing if you can't back them up."

"Enough, the both of you" a man with shoulder length brown hair said lazily. "How long left Granz?"

"I see you are also getting impatient Starrk" Szayel Aporro said with a smirk while still going over everything he mapped out.

"No, it was just question" Starrk said tiredly. "Also I have another question."

"And what might that be?" Szayel asked as he looked up at Starrk with a raised eyebrow, now feeling intrigued.

"How exactly do you know the entire layout of the Soul Society and where everything is located within it?"

"Yeah, that is actually a good question" Nnoitra said, walking over to the table that Szayel was working at.

Szayel let out a little laugh before explaining. "Well it's quite simple really. When I implanted myself into that lieutenant of that dreaded Soul Reaper, Kurotsuchi, I gathered up all the knowledge that was inside of her inferior brain!" Szayel Aporro explained, followed by a fit of maniacal laughter.

"God, you are fucking crazy" Grimmjow muttered, feeling a little creeped out.

"Perhaps" Szayel replied with smirk, causing Grimmjow to back away a little. "Anyway, we are just about done here."

"Good" Starrk said feeling relieved. "Could you give me the location of a certain Soul Reaper I want to find?"

"Of course" Szayel said with a devious glint of excitement in his eyes. "Does someone want revenge for their deceased little companion?"

"Yeah something like that" Starrk replied with slight anger.

"Well that's all well and true but I'll just explain the plan first" Szayel said while rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"And then what?" Grimmjow asked, feeling annoyed.

"Then we invade the Soul Society" Halibel replied as she appeared at the edge of the table.

"Precisely" Szayel said with a crazed look in his eyes. "Now let us begin phase one!"

A/N So that was the second chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it and once again if you have any questions feel free to ask :)


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